Ir~
4 
11
COVER STORY: The farm-raised catfish industry and 
catfish fishout operations in
Alabama have grown dramatically in the past decade. 
The development of successful
spawning techniques by Alabama Agricultural Experiment 
Station researchers has pro-
duced a crossbred catfish that could provide another 
big boost for the State's catfish in-
dustry. The channel catfish-blue catfish cross grows faster 
and more uniformly, has
more edible meat, is more feed efficient, and is less 
susceptible to reduced oxygen con-
tent in pond water than channel catfish. The crossbreed 
is also a more aggressive feeder
and swims nearer the surface than channel catfish, 
making it easier to catch in fishout
operations and easier to harvest for commercial 
use. As shown on the cover, even cool
winter temperatures don't prohibit catching these channel-blue catfish 
crossbreeds.
13 N"
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS
James E. Martin, President
Paul F. Parks, Vice President for Research
Lowell T. Frobish, Director
David H. Teem, Associate Director
Charles W. Bruce, Assistant Director
I
I I
I'
iA,
4k 
. 4
~:~'~K
Field days and
other meetings,
held throughout
the year at
research facili-
ties across the
State, help get
research infor-
mation to the
people who
need and use it.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword .............................................. 
4
Introduction ............................................ 
5
Food Animals ........................................... 7
Plant Production and Protection ............................ 10
Human Health and Nutrition ..............................
14
The Environment ......................................... 17
Alternative Crops and Resource Use ........................ 19
Forestry ................................................. 22
Director's Research Awards................................25
Research Appropriations a Good Investment ................. 26
The information contained herein is available to all persons regardless of race, color, sex, or national origin.
This report was produced by the Department of Research Information
R.E. Stevenson, Editor and Head
J.R. Roberson, Associate Editor
C.L. Smith, Assistant Editor
T.E. Rodriguez, Art Designer
I
Service and team-
work were the twin themes of
the 1987 Annual Report of the
Alabama Agricultural Experi-
ment Station (AAES), and with
good reason. Service to Ala-
bama agriculture and forestry is
the mission for which the AAES
was established 105 years ago.
Teamwork continues to be the
key organizational approach
under which the AAES operates
in carrying out its mission of
service.
Teamwork involves many different in-
dividuals, agencies, or organizations -- not just
Auburn faculty. Vital components of the AAES team
are the citizens of Alabama, and especially the State
Legislature. We at the AAES take this opportunity to
say thank you to the Legislature for the increase in
research funds approved in the recent budget and to
our friends throughout the State for their interest and
support. Too often we express our needs and con-
cerns, but fail to say thank you for a job well done.
The increased funding provided for 1989
will help the AAES carry out its mandated mission of
service to Alabama. It will allow us to develop a
research program targeted to the needs of all Alaba-
mians for the next decade and into the next century.
To help plan for the future, we have estab-
lished a Task Force to review Alabama's agricultural
and forestry industries and to take a hard look at
Auburn's research program to support these enter-
prises. This group has been asked to develop a
strategic research plan, officially labeled 'Alabama
Agriculture in the 21st Century.'
Members of the Task Force are Senator
Ann Bedsole; Representative Ben Richardson; Com-
missioner Albert McDonald; 
Mr. Jimmy Sanford,
Agribusinessman; Dr. James Anderson, Michigan
State University; Dr. Van Volk, Oregon State
University; Dr. Bobby Robinson, Washington, D.C.;
Dr. Robert Oltjen, Beltsville, Maryland; Dr. Robert
Stickney, University of Washington; 
Dr. John Ayres,
Lithonia, Georgia; Dr. Fred Hill, Savannah, Georgia;
Dr. Irv Omtvedt, University of Nebraska; and Dr.
Gideon Hill, Wilmington, Delaware. 
Dr. E. T. York,
Chancellor (Retired) of the State University System
of Florida, will chair the committee. The committee
will be drawing on all resources in Alabama to
develop this important strategic plan.
While the Task Force is busy working,
another group has reviewed the research facilities
associated with the AAES and has developed a plan
of action. High on the facility priority list is the
replacement of our greenhouse facility with a state-
of-the-art greenhouse and growth chamber complex.
Such a complex will allow expansion of research in
ornamentals, floriculture, and vegetables, along with
more basic studies in plant and tree growth, plant
diseases, and entomology.
A new Animal and Poultry Science
Building is planned to facilitate studies in 
growth,
development, and reproduction of farm animals.
Forestry is an important industry in Alabama and
renovation of the forestry complex will provide much
needed space for research to assist this growth in-
dustry. The welfare of all Alabamians is important,
and the expanded research effort in rural develop-
ment and family life benefits all citizens of our State.
Renovation of the existing plant sciences
building, Funchess Hall, will enable scientists to ex-
pand programs in soil physics, genetic engineering,
plant physiology and growth, integrated pest
management, and other important areas. Remodel-
ing of existing buildings for offices and classrooms
will allow the housing of extension specialists with
teachers and researchers to complete the integration
of all three groups into a single faculty to carry out the
agricultural mission of the University.
Addition of a disease containment facility
will improve our research in animal, poultry, and fish
diseases. Catfish farming is a rapidly growing in-
dustry, but growth may be limited unless research
solves future production problems before they
become limiting factors. Wildlife is important
aesthetically and economically to the State. We must
continue to expand our research and extension effort
in this area.
Considerable effort is being devoted to
planning and to the development of a strategic plan.
The research highlighted in this report is a result of
past plans. There is a Chinese proverb that sums up
our planning process: 'One generation plants the
trees...another gets the shade.' We are planting the
shade trees of the future, but in doing so we must stop
occasionally to smell the flowers and listen to the
sounds embracing us. Remember, this is your Agri-
cultural Experiment Station. You, the citizens of
Alabama and the State Legislature, are important
team members. We need your input, your advice.
____ ___ ___ _ a___ ___ ____ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ____ ___i _ ___ ___ ___ ____ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
roNLwu~u
Dr. Lowell T.
Frobish, Direc-
tor, Alabama
Agricultural Ex-
periment Station
Research in the Ala-
bama Agricultural Experiment Sta-
tion is diverse. Some high tech.
Some more down to earth. Some
simple, and the benefits easy to
define. Some more of long term
benefit. Regardless of the package
research results come in, the goal is
to help improve the way of life for
all Alabamians. In this regard, 1988
was a rousing success for the scien-
tists and administrators in the
Alabama Agricultural Experiment
Station and for the people of
Alabama.
Scientific break-
throughs, unfortunately, don't
often adhere to the 'Big Bang
Theory,' more often coming after
many years of meticulous, time-
consuming work. In 1988, how-
ever, there were several big bangs'
in the Experiment Station.
Plant breeders, for ex-
ample, culminated several years of
work by releasing a new variety of
soybean, Stonewall. This new
variety was bred specifically for the
growing conditions in Alabama
and planting seed should be
available in limited quantities for
growers in 1990. Release of new
varieties of lettuce, alfalfa, and
sericea for Alabama farmers em-
phasized success of efforts by
forage and vegetable breeders.
Sor many years
Auburn researchers have been key
contributors to the stockpile of
knowledge needed to combat
fescue toxicity in beef 
cattle. In fact,
Auburn researchers first identified
the fungus causing the disease and
developed a fungus-free fescue
variety and management measures
to combat it. In 1988, initial work
by Experiment Station researchers
indicates that higher stocking rates
- allowing animals to graze the in-
fected pastures closer - may be the
best of all these alternatives cur-
rently available. While technolo-
gical breakthroughs will no doubt
ultimately conquer the costly
disease problem for cattlemen, a
simple solution found by Auburn
researchers may save millions of
dollars until the big bang in fescue
toxicity comes along.
Stonewall, a new
variety of soy-
bean bred speci-
fically for
Alabama grow-
ing conditions,
was released by
the Experiment
Station in 1988.
Preliminary
results indicate
heavy grazing
may be a simple
short term solu-
tion to the
statewide prob-
lem of fescue
toxicity.
it.
ay:4 "
,g- 'u S
F -i
e.
:
'' : ~ \
I. r
il 
~;:
r ~~I
r: .i\
"b( i
;" .:
r
j, ~, :,,,
;7 d3
i;~ ~i !%~;rs.h -(i' i lu R .i
"- : ^,i
, it
: '% 4,~~ r i
-:-.i ,. -
;;
:~ J-r l
i ': -: ~ ~ ~n.
:e : ' " ' o
[9
r 
f
J, yF
t;' ;:
/ I
:-*
r- i::.j ~ bitb
r"pF-
Auburn re-
searchers sam-
ple crappie
population in
Weiss Lake.
mental and
1 crop produc-
tion im-
provements
go hand in
hand. Au-
burn re-
searchers
found this to
be the case
in efforts to
control tar-
nished plant
bugs, a major pest of cotton.
Preliminary research findings in-
dicate that using beautiful wild-
flowers, such as verbena and flea-
bane, along roadways may pro-
vide sufficient natural trap crops to
delay the timing and reduce the
number of tarnished plant bugs in
cotton.
Research by rural
sociologists indicates that Alaba-
mians favor maintaining clean
water sources for recreation and
wildlife. Other studies indicate a
high degree of acceptance by
Alabamians of the State Park
System. Utilization studies further
indicate that Alabama's state parks
are widely used by tourists from
out of state.
Developing alternative
resources has long been a goal of
the Experiment Station. This goal
can also go hand in hand with ef-
forts to better manage existing farm
enterprises, as researchers found in
the Sand Mountain area. The high
concentration of poultry opera-
tions in that area has created a de-
mand for utilization or manage-
ment of litter from poultry houses.
The area is also a growing center
for vegetable production in the
State. In tests at the Sand Mountain
Substation, researchers have found
that chicken litter makes an ex-
cellent organic fertilizer that pro-
duces higher yields and earlier
maturity on broccoli and sweet
corn than commercial fertilizers.
A
l11 the research infor-
mation generated by the Experi-
ment Station belongs to the public.
Last year Experiment Station scien-
tists published 490 technical
articles, providing a broad base of
scientific information for resear-
chers both at Auburn and at
research facilities around the
world. Auburn researchers also
published 20 Alabama Agricultural
Experiment Station publications,
and over 500 articles on Experi-
ment Station research appeared in
State newspapers. A new
cooperative television and radio
project with the Alabama
Cooperative Extension Service
brought research information to
more Alabamians via electronic
media.
WVith so diverse a
research program, summarizing in
an annual report is difficult at best.
The following report represents on-
ly a highlight of research achieve-
ments; undoubtedly, researchers in
every school and college on cam-
pus that conduct research under the
auspices of the Alabama Agri-
cultural Experiment Station could
report other successful research
findings.
inimal research at
Auburn continues to center on fur-
ther developing economic methods
of producing high protein, low fat,
and low cholesterol meat. This ef-
fort includes developing alternative
feed sources, like grain 
sorghum,
that can be grown in Alabama,
thus reducing the need to export
Alabama cattle out of state for
finishing or importing midwestern
grain for finishing cattle in the
State. Developing the type cattle
that can best utilize feed grown in
the State and processing and
packaging meat products in forms
most acceptable to consumers will
help to more fully develop and
utilize the State's beef cattle
industry.
The good food-good
health craze is also affecting animal
researchers at the Experiment Sta-
tion. Poultry researchers, for ex-
ample, have found that commer-
cial feedstuffs often lack adequate
dietary lysine, causing a higher
percentage of fat in poultry pro-
ducts. Fisheries researchers were
able to increase the omega-3 fatty
acids in catfish by adding fish oil to
pelleted rations. Omega-3 fatty
acids have been linked to decreas-
ed heart disease, but researchers
found the addition of fish oil to cat-
fish diet resulted in reduced quali-
ty of catfish, which may not be ac-
ceptable to consumers.
Though researchers
are constantly seeking to improve
the environment, often environ-
Chicken litter,
used as a resi-
dual fertilizer,
produced 
larger,
earlier maturing
broccoli than
commercial
fertilizers.
Animal research is
undergoing a continual revolution
as Americans demand increasingly
lower fat and cholesterol meat pro-
ducts. At the same time, producers
must be cognizant of meeting the
demands of consumers without
losing profitability. Thus, the age-
old adage of producing the most
for the least really hasn't changed,
though it is 'clothed' a little dif-
ferently. Researchers in the Experi-
ment Station have made some
significant progress in helping the
State's livestock and fish producers
thrive in these revolutionary times.
Basic research provides the
building blocks of knowledge
necessary for most practical scien-
tific breakthroughs, but never
before in the area of food animal
research have the basic researchers
been so vital. Auburn researchers
are studying many of the growth
and reproductive factors of both
synthetic growth-enhancing chemi-
cals and compounds produced
naturally within the animal. How
these materials in-
teract could play a
key role in the further
development of fast
growing, low fat,
low cholesterol live-
stock that the public
demands.
Auburn research-
ers are studying the
proliferation of satel-
lite cells in the
muscles of rats and
pigs to determine the
interaction of
growth-altering
chemicals, exercise,
and genetics. This
understanding is es-
sential to the future
use of growth-alter-
ing chemicals in beef
cattle and swine,
both of which are
heavily dependent on
the heterosis obtain-
ed from genetic cross-
breeding. To study
the effects of exercise
on cell growth, Au-
burn scientists de-
veloped a model
system to allow rats
to lift weights, thus
inducing muscle
growth in these
animals.
Experiment Sta-
tion scientists are
studying a ribosylu-
ric acid found exclu-
sively in the red
blood cells of beef
cattle that may be
used to protect food
animals, and possibly human cells,
from harmful oxidation. The ribo-
syluric acid is similar to a com-
pound found in humans that is a
defense against oxidizing agents. In
laboratory tests, Auburn research-
ers have found that ribosyluric acid
protected cattle, swine, and human
red blood cells from toxic agents.
The research team is working with
hopes of developing similar com-
pounds that will freely enter cells
and offer protection from oxida-
tion.
The Dairy Ter-
mination Pro-
gram leaves
younger, more
optimistic
dairymen in the
State.
I
Hybrid may become
standard for Alabama
catfish farmers
Successful mating of male blue
catfish and female channel catfish
has not been easy, but it could
become economically rewarding
for the State's catfish farmers and
fishermen. Auburn researchers
have found that the hybrid produc-
ed by the two species is more effi-
cient in feed conversion and grows
faster than channel catfish grown
commercially. The Auburn hybrid
has about 15 percent more edible
meat than channel catfish, primari-
ly because of a smaller head.
These new hybrids are much
more aggressive than channel cat-
fish and are easier to catch with a
hook and line. A tendency to swim
and feed nearer the surface also
makes the hybrid easier to harvest
in commercial operations.
From a production standpoint,
the hybrids are more tolerant than
channel catfish of changes in
dissolved oxygen in the water and
less susceptible to diseases.
N gtiy aeration
pays off in commercial
cat fish pounds
Nightly aeration of catfish ponds
pays off in terms of higher feed ef-
ficiency and subsequently lower
feed cost and higher yields, accor-
ding to recent Experiment Station
tests.
Channel catfish ponds were
stocked at 4,000 fish per acre and
fed to a maximum daily rate of 50
pounds per acre. Three ponds were
aerated 6 hours per night from May
30 until October 12, at a rate
equivalent to 3 horsepower per
acre. Three ponds served as
unaerated controls, but emergency
aeration was occasionally applied.
Harvest weight of fish averaged
4,293 pounds per acre in aerated
ponds compared to 3,264 in
unaerated ponds. The same quan-
tity of feed was applied to all
ponds, but fish in aerated ponds
had significantly better feed effi-
ciencies than fish in unaerated
ponds.
Production data were expanded
to larger ponds for a budget
analysis. Net returns 
to land,
management, and equity capital
were $696 per acre for aerated
ponds and $383 per acre for
unaerated ponds.
Economics are
studied for waste
management systems
Agricultural economists work-
ing with a team of agricultural
engineers, studied waste manage-
ment systems for swine to deter-
mine the most economical ones.
Microcomputer models were used
to analyze various production
phases and sizes, treatment/stor-
age, distribution, and application
systems. Six different sized feeder
pig, farrow to finish, and feeder pig
finishing operations were analyzed.
In tests evaluating pork produc-
tion at levels between 50,000 and
170,000 pounds per year, feeder pig
operations were below farrow-to-
finish and finishing-out feeder pigs
in terms of waste management
costs as a percentage of the
weighted average output value.
Beyond the output range, feeder
pig finishing operations achieved
the lowest percentage, followed by
feeder pig and farrow-to-finish
systems.
Grass filter, storage 
pond,
anaerobic and aerobic 
lagoons,
recharge pit, and storage pit
systems were evaluated for five
farrow-to-finish operation sizes.
Cost economies held for all systems
as size was increased, with the
aerobic lagoon (the highest cost
system) showing the greatest cost
sensitivity.
Dairy termination
participants not neces-
sarily unprofitable
Economists at the Experiment
Station found that it was not
necessarily debt or profitability
that caused dairy farmers to par-
ticipate in the Dairy Termination
Program (DTP). About one-fourth
had profitable or low debt opera-
tions but were terminating because
they believed the future was not
bright in dairy farming. Being of
retirement age was given as a
reason for DTP participation by
about 27 percent of the dairy
operators, with about 8 percent in-
dicating low-profit operations.
About 21 percent terminated
dairying because of low-profit and
high-debt operations, while
another 15 percent were making a
profit but had a high debt.
Although 60 percent of the DTP
farmers had herds of fewer than
100 cows, 14 percent had 200 or
more cows. Nearly one-third of the
dairy operators indicated that after
paying all debts, they would not
have any funds remaining from the
sale of cows and DTP payments. A
debt-free situation was indicated by
about 20 percent of the dairy
farmers. Many experienced dairy-
men chose to quit, leaving the
future of the dairy production in-
dustry in the hands of propor-
tionately younger and less ex-
perienced, but more 
optimistic,
dairy farmers.
Market demand
increasing for aqua-
cultural products
Since limited information is
available on retail seafood
marketing, Experiment Station
Nightly aeration
of catfish ponds
improves yields
and lowers
costs.
III
.. " q
research was carried out to find fac-
tors most potent in the effect on the
demand for seafood products.
The most important factors af-
fecting retail grocery demand for
seafood products were type and
location of grocery outlet, species
sold, and consumer tastes and
preferences. Important seafood
products in terms of volume and
gross retail sales were catfish, ocean
perch, whiting, and shrimp. Cat-
fish accounted for 11 percent of
dollar sales and volume. It ranked
third, along with whiting, in terms
of dollar sales, but was fourth in
terms of volume. Catfish was 
the
most widely handled fresh 
fish
product.
Although the proportion of the
market currently held by aqua-
cultural products is small, potential
seems to be high. 
Rising prices,
general acceptance of catfish, and
changing consumer tastes and pre-
ferences indicate that promotional
efforts to increase consumers'
awareness of aquacultural pro-
ducts would yield high returns.
Cattle respiratory
disease is caused by
early stress
Bovine respiratory 
disease,
believed to be caused by exposure
to stress at weaning and sale, is the
most common cause of illness and
death in feeder calves. Research
underway in the Experiment Sta-
tion indicates that a hormonal
response by calves to stressful
management procedures is accom-
panied by a temporary depression
in disease resistance.
Surgical procedures are fre-
quently performed on feeder calves
in the United States at or near the
time of weaning and shipment. To
test the effect of castration on im-
mune function, 5-month-old beef
calves were castrated using a
routine surgical procedure. Labor-
atory testing on blood samples col-
lected before and after castration
detected a significant increase in the
concentration of cortisol, a stress
hormone, within 1 hour after
surgery. This hormonal response
was accompanied by a shift in the
concentration of white blood cells.
By the next day, both the cortisol
concentration and the white blood
cell concentration had returned to
normal levels. However, the func-
tion of blood lymphocytes was also
tested in the laboratory, and a sig-
nificant depression was noted on
the day after surgery. This depres-
sion in lymphocyte function may
represent delayed effects of the high
concentration of stress hormone
that was noted immediately after
castration.
In a second study, 5-month-old
steers were hauled in a stock trailer
for 2 hours. Upon return to the
animal facilities, these animals
were infected experimentally with
a small dose of two respiratory
agents that are associated with
feedlot pneumonia. Hauling for 2
hours caused an increase in stress
hormone that was as great as the
increase that followed castration.
Experimental respiratory illness
was more severe in the calves that
had been transported, compared to
control calves that were infected
but had not been transported.
M atching breed and
facilities beneficial
or swine prouces s
The cost of purchasing or raising
replacement gilts and the lower
productivity of gilts compared to
sows make longevity and lifetime
production important economic
factors in commercial swine opera-
tions. A recently completed Experi-
ment Station study evaluated lon-
gevity and lifetime production of
three types of crossbred sows
(Hampshire-Landrace, Duroc-
Landrace, and Yorkshire-Lan-
drace) in two types of gestation
facilities (pasture and confinement
gestation stalls).
Eighty-seven percent of the
Hampshire-Landrace sows, 78 
per-
cent of Duroc-Landrace sows, and
only 70 percent of the Yorkshire-
Landrace sows farrowed four lit-
ters. Little difference was seen in
performance between the 
pasture
and confinement systems when
averaged across the three sow
crosses. Within the pasture gesta-
tion system, Duroc-Landrace and
Hampshire-Landrace sows raised a
total of 6 to 8 additional pigs to 21
days than Yorkshire-Landrace
sows in four farrowings.
Total pounds of pigs produced
in four litters varied little between
the breed groups in confinement
gestation, but Hampshire-Lan-
drace sows did produce 60 to 70
more pounds of pigs at 21 
days
than the other two groups of cross-
bred sows.
Results from this study indicate
that commercial swine producers
should match sow breeds with the
type of facility on the farm.
Farmers with a pasture gestation
system should consider using
Hampshire-Landrace or Duroc-
Landrace sows, while farmers with
confinement systems may want to
use the Hampshire-Landrace cross.
The Yorkshire-Landrace cross 
may
be the least economical choice for
either system.
Poultry housing
design has effect
o~ production
Research to compare relative
energy efficiency and overall pro-
duction efficiency of four different
cold weather and four different
warm weather broiler production
systems was completed recently by
an interdisciplinary team of
Agricultural Experiment Station
researchers.
Cold weather systems compared
consisted of the following 
com-
ponents: double curtains, double
curtains with ceiling fans, 
single
curtains with ceiling fans, and
single curtains (control).
Warm weather systems com-
pared consisted of the following
components: Evaporative cooling
fogging nozzles with 
full feed,
evaporative cooling, fogging
nozzles with limited feed restric-
tions, limited feed restrictions, and
full feed with no fogging nozzles
(control). Full feed means feed was
present at all times, while limited
feed means feed was withheld for
30 minutes of each 4-hour period
during the final 3 weeks of the
grow-out period.
Gas consumption was lower in
all treatments involving the double
curtains. Gas usage was 24.2 per-
cent lower in the double curtain
treatment as compared to 
the single
curta n treatment and 
was 39.0
percent lower in the
double curtain with
ceiling fans treatment
as compared to the
control. Ceiling fans
alone resulted in a
gas usage reduction
of 11.6% when com-
pared to the control.
Total energy cost per
1,000 birds was
lower in the double
curtain with ceiling
fans as compared to
the other treatments. Using energy
costs of $0.65 per gallon of LP gas
and $0.065 per kilowatt-hour of
electrical use, the costs per 1,000
birds were $68.13, $74.60, 
$80.20,
and $86.76 for the double curtain
with ceiling fan, 
double curtain,
ceiling fan, and control, respective-
ly. Most bird performance
parameters were not significantly
different for the treatments.
Reduced phosphorus
levels can cost
poultrymen money
Phosphorus, the most expensive
major mineral in poultry feeds, is
often fed at minimum levels to least
affect feed cost yet improve shell
quality. Producers can reduce
phosphorus intake by 50 milli-
grams (mg) per hen per day and
reduce feed cost as much as $50 per
ton.
Research conducted at Auburn
indicates that reducing phosphorus
levels below approximately 
700 mg
per hen per day to improve egg
shell quality is a misconception and
should not be used as justification
for feeding lower phosphorus
levels. Producers feeding less than
500 mg phosphorus per hen 
per
day may be increasing production
cost because hens receiving
marginal or inadequate phos-
phorus can have increased morta-
lity, skeletal and shell problems,
and reduced production.
Auburn findings indicate 
pro-
ducers should feed a diet containing
0.7 percent phosphorus until peak
production is reached or until feed
intake levels off. Hens should then
be fed 700 to 500 mg of phosphorus
per hen per day depending upon
hen age. Those levels are based on
birds consuming average of 22
pounds of feed per 100 hens per
day.
LO Li
r" S
nth ,d
Data from
nematode tests
at the Wiregrass
Substation were
instrumental in
developing Clan-
dosan, a biolo-
gical nematicide.
- - -. i-
he record breaking
late spring-early summer drought
took a devastating toll on crops in
some parts of Alabama, with the
most damage occurring in the nor-
them third of the State. Resear-
chers used the dry weather to gain
some valuable information. They
found, for example, that computer
models in cotton over-estimate the
damage done to that crop by
drought. They found heavier insect
problems can often be managed in
dry weather by using trap crops; of
particular interest are the beautiful
? ________________________________ I _______________________________
Reduced phos-
phorus proves
costly for egg
producers.
1
..~,
I zr ~_-;~1- i
---
}
c ,j
-I
i
Irrl Ir.q r-I
-'i
a r
$IB =(~lr
B .
i
c
wildflowers verbena and fleabane
that are excellent hosts for tarnish-
ed plant bugs that frequently
damage cotton.
Nematologists at Auburn played
a key role in the development of
Clandosan, a biological nematicide
that uses a combination of urea and
shellfish byproducts that stimulate
soilborne fungi that attack nema-
todes. Since the banning in 1986 of
the most effective and economical
nematicides by the Environmental
Protection Agency, growers have
had few weapons with which to
fight yield reducing nematodes.
The new biological nematicide is
both toxic to nematodes and harm-
less to man and the environment.
Future research in plant sciences
will benefit from Experiment Sta-
tion work on the development of
cloning vectors for chloroplasts.
Such vectors would allow scientists
to insert genes into chloroplast to
make photosynthesis more effi-
cient, increasing plant productivi-
ty. A similar technique could be
used to introduce the genes for re-
sistance to photosynthesis-inhi-
biting herbicides into crop 
plants,
allowing the use of herbicides that
are currently phytotoxic to plants.
New method found to
study plant bacterial
diseases
Auburn researchers have
developed a new approach to
studying the relationship between
plants and the pathogenic bacteria
that attack and cause disease. By
transferring the lux gene (a gene
complex responsible for light emis-
sion of a bioluminescent bacterial
species) into a number of commer-
cially important pathogenic bac-
teria, researchers can follow the en-
try, movement, and activities of
the bacteria in an infected host
plant.
From measurement of the inten-
sity of light emission, it is also
possible to obtain an estimate of
bacterial numbers at different times
during infection and at different
locations within the plant. This
noninvasive method of following
the progress of plant disease
development presents scientists
with a new and powerful tool for
studying the disease process.
Old and new fungicides
reduce peanut diseases
Peanut white mold costs
Alabama peanut producers $10-15
million annually, placing it along
with leafspot as the most trouble-
some peanut disease problems in
the State. In 3 years of on-farm
testing, researchers demonstrated
that the fungicide Terraclor is still
the best economic control for white
mold, particularly under severe
disease pressure. However, the in-
secticide Lorsban provided signifi-
cant disease suppression and yield
increases, which were greater than
other insecticides also labelled for
white mold control.
Researchers also evaluated new
fungicides for control of white
mold and peanut leafspot. In these
tests, Spotless- and Folicur-treated
plots outyielded standard Terraclor
treatments by 100-400 pounds per
acre and produced 600-1,200
pounds per acre more than un-
treated plots.
Little-known bee holds
key to blueberry
pollination
Rabbiteye blueberry, the only
commercial blueberry grown in the
Southeast, has seen a remarkable
upsurge in commercial and home
cultivation this decade. Like all
blueberries, rabbiteye requires bees
to transfer pollen between plants to
effect pollination. Recent research
at Auburn, in collaboration with
the USDA Southeastern Fruit and
Tree Nut Research Station, docu-
ments the pollination value of a
previously overlooked native soli-
tary bee for fruit production by
rabbiteye blueberry.
The southeastern blueberry 
bee,
Habropoda laboriosa, masquer-
ades as a small bumblebee, but in
fact is a solitary, ground-nesting
bee. The female is a specialist, rely-
ing heavily upon blueberry flowers
for her offsprings' pollen and nectar
provisions. In turn, this bee is a
superior blueberry pollinator.
Every second flower she visits, on
average, matures a full-sized fruit
on three varieties commonly
planted in Alabama. Censuses of
blueberry visitors reveal this fast-
working bee to be frequently so
abundant as to effect multiple visits
per flower, assuring the maximum
fruit set of nearly 60 percent for
irrigated bushes.
In contrast, other bees that
forage rabbiteye blueberry are too
infrequent, or else fail to ap-
propriately handle the blueberry's
urn-shaped flowers to be effective
pollinators. Methods and techno-
logies developed during this study
may provide insights into the
pollination of vegetable crops
whose flowers share critical fea-
tures with those of blueberry, such
as tomato, peppers, eggplant, and
potato.
Fertilizer impurities too
1
ow to affect crops
The heterogeneity of phosphate
rock can lead to the formation of
impurity compounds in commer-
A little-known
bee proves
essential to max-
imum blueberry
production.
cial phosphate fertilizers. These im-
purity compounds are insoluble in
water and contain metallic ele-
ments such as aluminum, iron, and
magnesium. A series of greenhouse
and field studies was conducted at
the Experiment Station to evaluate
the plant availability of phos-
phorus in commercial concentrated
superphosphate (CSP) and mono-
ammonium phosphate (MAP)
fertilizers.
Fertilizers in the tests were
manufactured from phosphate
subsoiling (87 bushels per acre) will
result in higher grain yields than
disking only (69 
bushels per acre),
chiseling (72 bushels 
per acre),
paraplowing (73 bushels per 
acre),
or turning (71 bushels per acre).
When the rye was grazed during
the winter months, deep tillage was
needed to maintain respectable
yields. Yields for 
the paraplow,
turn plow, in-row subsoiler, chisel
plow, no tillage, and disk only
were 77, 66, 65, 60, 57, and 46
bushels per acre, respectively.
.1I
9 r 
r .4
K
'2
Hybrid tomato
varieties may in-
crease fruit set
in hot, humid
weather.
rock depo sl in i icIa, .CAu il
Carolina, and Idaho. One CSP fer-
tilizer was obtained from Morocco.
Water soluble phosphorus in CSP
ranged from 77 to 92 percent of the
total phosphorus, while water
soluble phosphorus in MAP rang-
ed from 81 to 96 percent of the total
phosphorus.
Results of this project show that
the level of impurities currently
present in commercial MAP and
CSP fertilizers is not influencing
fertilizer performance.
Winter grazing affects
spring tillage program
Winter grazing can have a
tremendous influence on tillage
needed prior to planting corn. Data
from the first year of a tillage
system test at the Experiment Sta-
tion indicate that when corn is
planted into killed rye that has not
been grazed, no tillage (82 bushels
per acre) or no tillage with in-row
Irrigation findings to
help small acreage
vegetable farms
Research being conducted by a
team of agricultural engineers and
economists will better define ap-
propriate technology and costs
associated with irrigation of
vegetable crops in Alabama. The
team is concentrating on small
acreage farms with rolling topo-
graphy. Although several types of
irrigation technology are potential-
ly appropriate, the 1988 study
focused on small acreage, hard
hose travelers.
The hard hose traveler now be-
ing field evaluated has a 400-foot-
long hose with a 1.5-inch inside
diameter and costs approximately
$5,000. Annual fixed and operating
costs which are also a function of
pumps, pipes, and operating time
will be determined.
Maximum recommended inlet
pressure and nozzle size resulted in
a flow rate of 65 gallons per
minute. This flow rate will provide
adequate water for about 10 acres
of vegetable crops. Other variables
that have been characterized in-
clude travel speed, discharge
pressure, and flow rate variability.
These factors will be combined
with sprinkler wetting pattern data
to simulate application rates and
uniformity.
lybrid tomatoes set
ruit despite hot, humid
eather
High day and night temperature
conditions, prevalent in the sum-
mer months in Alabama, severely
limit tomato fruit production. High
temperatures disturb many pro-
cesses in the flower, such as pollen
development, pollen germination
and tube growth, ovule develop-
ment, fertilization, and fruit initia-
tion. Experiment Station research
indicates that hybrids of several
varietal selections have higher heat
tolerance than parent varieties, in-
dicating that fruit set can be im-
proved genetically.
In second-year field evaluations,
hybrids and parent lines were rated
for their ability to set fruit at the
Wiregrass Substation in southeast
Alabama. Summer daily max-
imum temperatures ranged from 88
to 100
0
F and the daily minimum
ranged from 60 to 74
0
F in July and
mid-August.
Flowers were collected at bi-
weekly intervals and the percent
pollen fertility was determined.
Flowers collected from tomato
plants during the hottest period of
the summer showed a lower pollen
fertility as compared to flowers col-
lected earlier or later in the season.
Only during the hottest period of
the year did the pollen fertility of
the entries become limiting.
Large fruited commercial varie-
ties such as Flora-Dade produced
I I
few or no fruit from July to mid-
August, while lines from the Asian
Vegetable Research and Develop-
ment Center (Taiwan) and small
fruited varieties such as Red Cherry
produced many fruit although their
size was smaller than normal. Lack
of fruit formation could be attri-
buted in large part to decreases in
pollen fertility. Small fruited
varieties showed the least effect of
temperature on pollen fertility and
subsequent fruit set.
Researchers evaLateF
s grain diseases
Small grain varieties were
evaluated for disease incidence and
severity at 11 locations in the Ex-
periment Station System. Leaf rust
and Septoria leaf and glume blotch
generally were the predominant
diseases on wheat and triticale
cultivars; incidence of loose smut
was high on EH 8600 variety wheat
at every location.
Loose smut disease was also
prevalent on Citation, 
Coker 227,
* i
t
=:
t
t,
I; ,.a
a
?:41-
Coker 820, and Harpool oats in
tests in northern and central
Alabama; otherwise, oat entries
generally were disease free in
statewide variety tests.
Low levels of stripe, 
spot blotch,
and net blotch were found on each
of the barley cultivars planted in
tests in northern and central
Alabama.
Seventeen fungicide treatments
were evaluated for control of foliar
diseases on McNair 1003 wheat at
the Gulf Coast Substation in
southwest Alabama and Sand
Mountain Substation in the nor-
theast part of the State. All
fungicides tested at the Gulf Coast
Substation gave good to excellent
control of leaf rust. Septoria glume
blotch developed late in the tests,
but incidence of the disease was
significantly lower in most of the
fungicide-treated plots than in the
unsprayed control plots.
Yield increases associated with
fungicide treatments ranged from 6
to 17 bushels per acre. Diseases 
did
not develop in the tests at the Sand
Mountain Substation.
E ari weed conrtro aids
young pecan tree
Auburn researchers found that
total chemical control was the most
effective way to control weeds in
newly established, nonbearing
pecan trees. They also found a
significant impact of irrigation on
both weed and tree growth.
Second-year
growth was consi-
derably greater than
the first year's for all
treatments. The dia-
meters of irrigated
and nonirrigated
trees increased from
::; 40 percent for un-
treated trees to more
? 4. than 90 percent for
trees undergoing total
. chemical control.
Total growth over
the 2-year period shows total
chemical control treatments in both
irrigated and nonirrigated trees
provided increases in diameter over
twice that of untreated trees, under
which mowing was used for weed
control. Mowing, a practice used in
many young orchards, was not
beneficial because it did not control
grasses. Irrigation provided a
distinct advantage in the first year
when rainfall was limited to 55 in-
ches, but it had little effect in 1987
because the research area received
80 inches of rainfall that year.
Results suggest total chemical
control provides more advantage
for young pecan tree growth than
mowing and disking, and total
chemical control is especially im-
portant for nonirrigated trees.
These early results seem to indicate
that efficient orchard floor
management beginning at planting
can help trees reach production age
faster.
nhly refIect v
imu ches reduce pests,
berneft
Tomato and summer squash
research at the Experiment Station
indicates that aluminum coated
plastic mulch may reduce thrips
and aphids, and subsequently
lower the risk of virus diseases
transmitted by these insects. In ad-
dition, the plastic mulches stimu-
late crop production by controlling
weeds, conserving moisture and
fertilizer, elevating plant tempera-
tures, and increasing light intensity.
Squash mosaic and tomato spot-
ted wilt are serious diseases of
vegetables in Alabama. These
viruses, which are transmitted by
aphids and thrips, cannot be con-
trolled by currently available insec-
ticides. These insects feed on the
underside of plants because of a
sensitivity to light. By using the
reflective mulches, researchers
were able to 'bounce' light up under
the plant foliage and discourage
aphids and thrips from attacking
vegetables covered with these
materials.
Highly reflective
mulches re-
duced popula-
tions of disease-
carrying aphids
and thrips.
Wheat variety
tests demon-
strate effective-
ness of fungi-
cides.
i
r
? i
a 
X 
?
;. . , .
1\A
Isolating
Omega-3 fatty
acids from
soilborne fungi
could provide a
future source
of beneficial
nutrients.
Americans are more
health conscious today than ever
before. Farmers and livestock pro-
ducers, in addition to producing
maximum yields at minimum
costs, must produce nutritionally
sound raw products. The other side
of the coin is that Americans must
be able to recognize and most effi-
ciently use these more nutritional
foods, and for a majority of con-
sumers this is not the case.
Auburn researchers, for exam-
ple, demonstrated that carbo-
hydrates, often avoided 
by dieters,
are essential to maintain adequate
endurance levels. Low carbohy-
drate diets for females can be self
defeating, according to the Auburn
study, because women on these
diets have decreased physical and
mental performances when com-
pared to medium and high carbo-
hydrate diets.
Though adding fish oil rich in
Omega-3 fatty acids to catfish diets
gave the food fish an unpleasant
odor and may not be acceptable to
consumers, other forms of these
fatty acids that have reduced in-
cidence of heart disease may be
usable. Auburn researchers are
currently trying to isolate from
fungi an alternative source of
Omega-3 fatty acids. At least one
of the fatty acids in Omega-3 is
known to occur in certain groups
of primitive fungi. Unlocking an
alternative source of Omega-3
could provide a more abundant
and usable form of this nutrition-
ally important fatty acid.
The increased emphasis on pro-
per human nutrition extends from
the elderly to infants - even pre-
mature infants according to one
Auburn study. Due to technolo-
gical advances, the survival rate of
premature babies has gone up
dramatically in recent years. One
problem of premature babies is eye
damage, since the eye continues to
mature after birth. Auburn re-
searchers, working with scientists
at the Cullen Eye Institute 
in Texas,
found that dietary selenium is vital
to eye development and to preven-
ting eye damage due to over-
oxidation. Experiment Station
researchers were even able to deter-
mine that selenomethionine is a
better source of selenium than
selenite or selenocystine. This
multi-disciplinary study is also
looking at the possibility of soil ap-
plications of selenium for soybeans
as a method of getting needed
selenium into foods for infants.
Lean beef tastes good
and is more economical
to grow
Experiment Station scientists
recently established the composi-
tional and value differences in car-
cass components (closely trimmed
retail cuts, ground beef, waste fat
and bone) between typical and lean
carcasses.
Lean beef carcasses had greater
yields of retail cuts, 
ground beef,
bone, and total available product
for retail sale than typical carcasses.
The typical carcasses had a higher
percentage of trimmable fat than
lean beef carcasses. Assuming
average per pound market prices
for each component 
(retail cuts,
$3.40; ground beef, $1.50; waste
fat and bone, $0.05), there was a
net difference in carcass value of
nearly $70. This difference was
largely accounted for by more
muscle mass in the lean cattle. A
companion study has shown that
there was no difference in the sen-
sory traits of tenderness, 
juiciness,
or flavor between the two carcass
types.
Since there was a value dif-
ference between typical and lean
beef carcasses of nearly $70 in favor
of the leaner carcasses and there
was no difference in the desired
eating qualities, selection of lean
carcasses by the packer, using the
constraints set forth in this study, is
one method of providing con-
sumers with the leaner product
they demand.
Dietary riboflavin
sufficient for physically
active females
Riboflavin is one of the B com-
plex vitamins found in numerous
foods, but Americans receive it
primarily from milk and other
dairy products. Riboflavin has
many functions in the body, most
notably the production of energy.
Riboflavin needs are also related to
the amount of muscle 
a person has,
thus, an increase in either muscle
mass or energy expenditure could
result in an increased need for
riboflavin. Because of these rela-
tionships (muscle mass and energy
expenditure) it may be possible that
physically active persons have
higher riboflavin needs as com-
pared to those more sedentary.
This question was studied
recently by researchers in the Ex-
periment Station. Nutritionists
looked at the riboflavin status of a
group of female athletes (varsity
tennis players and track athletes) as
compared to an untrained group of
females of similar height, 
weight,
and age.
Results showed that athletes had
less body fat and consumed more
riboflavin and calories in their diet
than did other females. However,
when riboflavin intake was ex-
pressed as riboflavin intake per
calorie consumed, the athletes and
nonathletes were equal. Riboflavin
activity in the blood of both groups
was within the range expected for
adequately nourished 
people,
however, the values for the un-
trained group were slightly better
than for athletes. The same was
true for riboflavin excretion in the
urine. Both athletes and non-
athletes excreted a normal amount
of urinary riboflavin, but the un-
trained females excretion was more
normal than the athletes.
This study indicates that females
who are very physically active can
maintain adequate riboflavin status
through dietary intake alone. No
unusual or large supplements are
needed, Thus, adequate consump-
tion of dairy foods would meet a
physically active person's need for
riboflavin.
Oatmeal and whole
wheat are ideal sources
of manganese
Manganese is known to be an
essential trace element for humans
and animals. Knowledge concern-
ing the biological availability of
manganese from plant foods is im-
portant s>nce most of the man-
ganese in human diets is supplied
from plant sources. Manganese
content of animal foods is low.
Manganese present in plant sources
may not be totally available for ab-
sorption, and hence, utilization
may be low. Bioavailability can be
defined as the extent to which a
chemically present nutrient in the
diet can be utilized by humans or
animals.
To establish data for the bio-
availability of manganese from dif-
ferent protein sources, Auburn
researchers fed rats diets based on
casein, soybean meal, whole wheat
Dietary ribo-
flavin proves
sufficient for
female athletes.
I
flour, or oatmeal for 21 days.
Within each group, different levels
of manganese ranging from 0 to 8
parts per million were fed. At the
end of the 21-day 
feeding period,
the deposition of manganese in
bone was analyzed to calculate the
bioavailability of manganese. By
comparing the slopes of the
manganese content in bone obtain-
ed from rats fed 
soybean meal,
oatmeal, and whole wheat flour to
that of casein, a slope-ratio was
calculated to determine the
bioavailability of these protein
sources relative to casein.
Results indicate that the man-
ganese contained in the soybean
protein allowed for the least
deposition of manganese in the
bone, followed by oatmeal and
whole wheat. While these results
show that manganese bioavaila-
bility from oatmeal was low com-
pared to casein, only the soybean
meal showed a significant decrease
in bioavailability. Oatmeal and
whole wheat protein diets showed
no significant decrease in man-
ganese bioavailability. Many
cereals contain significant amounts
of oatmeal and whole wheat and
results from this study indicate that
manganese bioavailability from
these sources is excellent.
Reducing poultry
salmonellae Jowers
human disease threat
Salmonellae are a group of
bacteria (over 2,500 serotypes)
found throughout nature, especial-
ly in the animal kingdom. 
Often,
salmonellae are associated with a
gastrointestinal disorder in humans
known as Salmonellosis.
Poultry, like other 
livestock,
may be exposed to salmonellae
organisms during the growout
phase of production. Birds harbor-
ing salmonellae in 
any one flock,
though usually few 
in numbers,
represent a source for cross-
contamination during commercial
processing.
Experiments are being con-
ducted at the Experiment Station to
determine factors, such 
as genetics,
feed and water withdrawal 
stress,
and dietary supplement with pro-
biotic and milk 
products,
associated with salmonellae col-
onization rate of broilers prior to
processing. A high level of cecal
colonization was observed when
day-old-chicks were inoculated
with salmonellae organisms. How-
ever, adult broilers (6 weeks of age)
were resistant to colonization when
orally challenged with salmonellae
typhimurium, indicating an age
related to colonization of sal-
monellae organisms.
Determining natural resistance
by chicks to salmonellae organisms
represents a first step in lowering
the incidence of transmission of
salmonellae organisms to humans.
Safety cons derations
urged for pre-cooked
roast Oeef
Current changes in consumer
demand have resulted in increased
production of processed meat items
that are high in quality, convenient
to prepare, and carry a high retail
price. Several new meat items are
being produced throughout the
country that are unlike the majori-
ty of 'typical' processed meats. One
a
.1 ____________________________________________________________________________________
Mature broilers
show resistance
to disease-
causing
salmonellae
bacteria.
I
such item is sliced, pre-cooked
roast beef. This product is different
from other ready-to eat meat items
in that it contains lower 
salt levels,
is uncured, and is heat-processed to
a lower internal temperature. The
resulting product is suitable as an
entree but has comparatively short
shelf-life and lacks antimicrobial
agents that act against specific food
pathogens.
Auburn researchers found that
potassium sorbate was not an ef-
fective antimicrobial agent to use
with pre-cooked, sliced roast beef.
Secondary heat treatment was
found to be effective in 
controlling
micro-organisms, but created some
problems with purge (free water in
the package) and color of the pro-
duct. This study indicates that ex-
treme care should be exercised in
product handling and inventory
management to insure that pre-
packaged, sliced roast beef is high
in quality and safe to consume.
etari .lysine 
is
essential to lowfat
poulth products
Alabama's poultry industry is in-
creasing its production of value
added products. This growth is
dependent upon the consumer's
perception that poultry products
are high in protein and low in fat.
Research at the Experiment Sta-
tion on the feeding of marginal
lysine to broilers before marketing
revealed that growth was not af-
fected. Reduced lysine, 
however,
did reduce carcass meat, particular-
ly that on the breast, and increased
skin and fat.
Lysine is a component of all pro-
teins, however, the amount in feed
given to meat birds is normally less
than the known dietary require-
ment. This lysine is heavily com-
mitted to forming muscle during
growth. Lysine is expensive but
warranted when viewed in terms of
product yield and quality.
k ,
hh
w n Ne , .Pt 1 r.. , , ' -r J v
~t 4
h. d- t 'Lr' rh ( - ,, ' S n:y 1, li
t a 1 s th . . a7 ! ? *-r . -
* n
, *-*"...
By increasing
quail popula-
tions in the
State, re-
searchers hope
to create new in-
terest in the
sport and in-
crease hunting
lease values for
landowners.
ncreasing agricultural
production and maintaining a
clean environment is a dilemma
that has been faced by farmers and
livestock producers for years. It is
a problem that will grow worse in
the future because of a dwindling
number of farmers and increased
intensity in production from those
who remain, plus the increasing ur-
banization of rural areas. In the
Sand Mountain area of the State,
for example, over 60 percent of the
water in Lake Guntersville has con-
taminant levels above the National
guidelines. Environmentalist pre-
dict, if the current trend continues,
the lake will be unusable for fishing
and recreation within 10 years.
Other areas of the State are simi-
larly concerned about pollution of
lakes and streams from runoff, and
perhaps more potentially danger-
ous, the pollution of ground water
sources. Recent Experiment Station
research indicates that agricultural
pesticides are not a major contri-
butor to pollution of streams by
runoff of rainwater from farmland.
Similar testing of pollution in West
Point Lake indicates the primary
source of this contamination is ef-
fluent from sewage treatment
plants and not agricultural pesti-
cide runoff.
In the Sand Mountain area re-
searchers are conducting a series of
tests to find the optimum utiliza-
tion of chicken litter. This litter,
which is a combination of wood
shavings placed on the floor of
chicken houses and chicken
manure, is high in phosphates and
nitrates - potential groundwater
contaminants.
Auburn researchers have found
that high rates of chicken litter us-
ed as organic fertilizer in late fall
produced higher yielding, earlier
maturing crops of sweet corn and
broccoli than plots using commer-
cial fertilizers. Comparable studies
are being conducted to evaluate
chicken litter use on winter 
wheat,
fescue, other vegetable crops, and
ornamentals.
Auburn researchers are also con-
cerned about aesthetic aspects of
the environment. In an ongoing
test of over 100 shade 
tree varieties,
Experiment Station researchers
found that Autumn Blaze, Aristo-
crat, Cleveland Select, and Capitol
varieties of flowering pear trees
may be more suitable to certain
landscapes than the popular Brad-
ford variety. Bradford flowering
pear trees also have a problem with
limb splitting, which is less severe
in some of the newer varieties.
ncreased organic
matter threatens West
Poaint Lke
Few reservoirs have been as in-
tensively studied as West Point
Lake, located on the Chattahoo-
chee River just 50 miles down-
stream from Atlanta. In 1976, one
year after impoundment, a study
was begun by Experiment Station
researchers to measure the effects
f lB
of nutrient enrichment of this lake
as it aged.
The amount of carbon produced
by phytoplankton has increased
dramatically in the past few years.
This increased productivity was
apparently caused by nutrient
enrichment of the lake waters
resulting from a significant rise in
volume of treated sewage effluent
and urban runoff associated with
expanded urbaniza-
tion of the Atlanta
metropolitan area.
One consequence
of an increase in
organic matter pro-
duction within the
lake is a decline in
dissolved oxygen
needed to support
aquatic life. If this
trend of increased
productivity con-
tinues, there could
be a reduction in
fish habitat and an
increased risk of
fish kills in the lake
and its tailwaters, especially during
the warmest months of the year.
Fish population studies
in crappie capital lake
Weiss Lake, located in Cherokee
County, Alabama, is known
throughout the Southeast as the
'crappie capital of the world.' The
reputation is well deserved.
Throughout the years, the reser-
voir has provided quality crappie
fishing. However, in recent years
fishing pressure, targeting crappie
especially, apparently has increas-
ed. This increased fishing pressure
coupled with an apparent decline in
the number of crappie available for
harvest has resulted in concern that
the fish population is being ex-
ploited excessively.
Joint studies by the Experiment
Station and the Alabama Depart-
ment of Conservation and Natural
Resources centered on understand-
ing the extent to which anglers were
harvesting the stocks. During the
winter of 1987-88, over 703 crappie
were tagged and released. As the
crappie season progressed 108 tags
were returned by anglers. Of the
total, 53 percent were out-of-state
anglers, a fact which emphasizes
the economic importance of Lake
Weiss to the area.
Adjusting the rate of return for
tag loss and nonreporting of tagged
caught fish, the crappie population
appears to be moderately ex-
ploited. Data indicate that given
the cyclic nature of crappie spawn-
ing in reservoirs coupled with an
apparent increase in fishing on the
lake, some regulation of harvest
may be beneficial.
Pond pesticide testing
helps evaluate en-
vironmental impact
A 2-year study recently was in-
itiated by the Experiment Station to
develop procedures for the testing
of the effects of pesticides used on
agricultural crops on plant and
animal communities in ponds. The
Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) is recommending this ap-
proach for the testing of certain
toxic pesticides subject to run-off
into small ponds after application.
Information developed from the
Auburn study will assist the EPA in
formulating regulations for evalu-
ating the environmental effects of
agrichemicals before they are
marketed.
The study was designed to ob-
tain baseline information on the
aquatic plant and animal com-
munities in the first year and to
follow this phase with pesticide ap-
plication. In the second year, ef-
fects of the pesticide on the com-
munities will be determined.
Results of the first year's work
found that differences between
zones within a mesocosm were
most pronounced among plankton
communities. Zooplankton abun-
dance typically was higher in open
water. During summer, differences
between open water and shoreline
zones were significant. 
Phyto-
plankton abundance was usually
higher in the shoreline zone. Recir-
culation resulted 
in significantly
higher plankton abundance on
several dates, 
plus higher bluegill
production. The treatment phase
has been completed and re-
searchers are 
now studying
recovery of the systems.
Public supports
farmers on soil erosion
issues
A survey of over 
3,000
household respondents was carried
out by the Experiment Station to
determine public perceptions of
farmers environmental behavior.
More than 90 percent of the
respondents felt that landowners
are obliged to protect soil resources
for future generations. Almost
two-thirds of the sample felt that
most farmers take good care of the
soil. Nevertheless, about 57 percent
thought that laws regulating excess
soil erosion are badly needed.
About 40 percent thought the
government should pay farmers to
practice soil conservation. A
similar proportion 
supported ap-
plying financial penalties to farm
operators who fail to adopt needed
soil conservation practices.
Only about 25 percent thought
soil conservation programs were
carried too far. The public seemed
ready to consider stronger steps to
stem soil erosion, given the
economic realities 
of farming.
Hunting is a big asset
to Alabama's 
economy
In many instances, wildlife and
the harvest of wildlife species
through hunting in Alabama have
been thought of 
only as by-
products of forest management.
However, preliminary findings
from an Experiment Station re-
search project indicate 
that hunting
may be regarded as one of Ala-
bama's major income 
generating
I __________________ I_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Water quality
tests indicate
future problems
for West Point
Lake.
c _
industries. Results have shown that
individuals hunting in Alabama
spend in excess of $677 million an-
nually on hunting and hunting-
related items. This is based on
1,800 responses to an Experiment
Station survey of licensed hunters
within the State.
The value of this industry to the
State had not previously been ac-
curately documented. This study
demonstrates that wildlife in
Alabama is one of the State's
leading economic assets.
Biodeterioration in
structures is a health
and economic problem
Deterioration of carpets, wall-
paper, and wallboard due to fungi
is a serious problem of the
hotel/motel industry in the hot-
humid Southeast. Musty odors
from the fungi render rooms
unusable and the redecorating costs
add substantially to operating
costs. In many situations, wall-
paper in newly built structures has
to be replaced every 3-6 months. In
many hotels the costs are several
thousand dollars per day. Addi-
tionally, fungal spores in the air
represent serious environmental
and health hazards.
Experiment Station research has
been done to identify the fungi in-
volved in biodeterioration, learn
what substrates are being used as a
food source, and how to control
the fungi. The majority of the fungi
identified were Cladosporium,
Stachybotrys, Penicillium, Alter-
naria, Aspergillus, and Ulocla-
dium. Two new fungal species
have been identified from these
unique habitats. While these fungi
have been found 
utilizing paper,
natural fibers, wallpaper paste, 
and
paint as substrates, some appear to
be decomposing man-made vinyl
wallpapers and synthetic carpet
fibers.
Scientists are currently evalua-
ting control strategies that include
modification of the environment to
reduce relative humidity and con-
densation problems. This work is
being coordinated with building
systems engineers. Another stra-
tegy being examined is the use of
fungicidal products either applied
directly to surfaces or incorporated
into wallpaper and carpet
materials.
V Ir 8 a
Experiment
-tation researchers are
onstantly seeking alter-
iative crops and more
tfficient uses of natural
,nd human resources.
hough prices for most
ommodities are cur-
ently at a level that is
)rofitable to farmers,
he cyclical pricing
ature of these goods
andates that resear-
hers keep a constant
igil for new crops and
roducts.
It is difficult to deter-
nine today what will be
major commodity in
e future. When the
itfish industry began in
vest Alabama in the
,id 1960s, no one im-
igined it would become
he seventh or eight
argest agricultural in-
!ustry in the State
(day.
The interest in com-
nercial fruit and
vegetable production in
Alabama is growing
Growth
regulating
chemicals have
proven a boon
for Alabama's
nursery
industry.
Y4 1 :
" I
--- ' ~:~tpr: hh;j r 'i
.t !. '~' U3P ~~
i '" X
-. *
rapidly. An indication of this in-
terest is the recent attendance by
over 300 people to the State Fruit
and Vegetable Growers Associa-
tion in Auburn, which featured an
address by Governor Guy Hunt.
The Experiment Station is playing
a key role in the resurgence of the
fruit and vegetable industry in 
the
State.
The Experiment Station recently
released a new plum variety, AU
Rubrum, which could become the
dominant commercial plum varie-
ty in the State. Scientists are also
seeking to expand the State's peach
industry by developing varieties
more suitable to growth in extreme
south Alabama, where peaches
could ripen earlier and fill a void in
the market.
Increasing vegetable production
and quality are vital to further
development of the industry 
in the
State. Already
researchers are
developing dif-
ferent mulch-
ing systems
that take op-
timum advan-
tage of Ala-
bama's warm
early spring
climate and
provide max-
imum protec-
tion against
weeds and
insect-vectored
diseases. New
varieties of
sweet corn, potatoes, and 
other
vegetables are screened annually
by Experiment Station researchers
at research facilities throughout 
the
State.
Just as important as finding out
which new crops will work is 
find-
ing out early which ones 
aren't
suitable for production in Ala-
bama. Such is the case of pepino
dulce, a breakfast fruit, grown ex-
tensively in Mexico and California.
While this high yielding fruit 
has
tremendous 
market potential,
Auburn researchers have 
found
that it simply won't set a sufficient
number of fruit in Alabama's cli-
mate to ever be an economic factor
in the State. Similar studies are
looking at the feasibility 
of growing
kiwi fruit and fajoa. 
The first par-
tial crop of kiwi fruit was harvested
at the Experiment Station in 1988
and early indications are that it will
be difficult and expensive 
to grow
commercially.
Freshwater obsters
tested for growth in
'8tfish ponds
Already freshwater 
shrimp are
being grown experimentally in cat-
fish ponds, now scientists are
testing giant crayfish for use in the
State's aquaculture industry. The
crayfish look more like lobster, and
taste remarkably similar to Maine
lobster.
Several species of crayfish have
been identified that may have
potential for pond aquaculture in
Alabama. One large species called
marron, native to southwestern
Australia, is capable of growing 
at
a rate of one-fourth 
pound a year
and reaching a maximum size of
over 2 pounds. Crayfish grown 
in
the United States usually reach 
a
maximum size of about one-tenth
pound in a year. Growth rates of
marron in research tanks at
Auburn during 1988 have been as
good or better than growth data
reported from Australia. Marron
survived well during the winter but
showed signs of heat stress 
during
summer. Low salt concentrations
were found to improve survival
during summer months.
A second large crayfish, called
the redclaw, from eastern Australia
is also capable of reaching a pound
in size. The natural range 
of the
redclaw includes regions with sum-
mer temperatures at least as high as
those found in Alabama. Research
will continue on both species 
of
giant freshwater crayfish in efforts
to find new, high value crops for
Alabama farmers.
Azalea 
flowering
enhanced by growth
retardant use
The nursery industry 
has grown
steadily over the past three decades
to become one 
of Alabama's top 
10
industries. Much of this growth has
been dependent on research-
proven production practices,
which allow nurserymen to in-
crease volume and/or quality. One
of the most potentially useful tools
currently being tested by Auburn
researchers is growth retardants.
Daminozide 
and chlormequat
chloride are the principal growth
retardants applied to florist azaleas.
Delayed flowering and smaller
flower size are undesirable side ef-
fects of daminozide, 
while delayed
flowering and smaller plant size are
undesirable 
effects of chlormequat
chloride. Paclobutrazol, 
currently
labeled as Bonzi, for use 
on
poinsettia, is an effective retardant
on chrysanthemums, many species
of tropical foliage plants, and an-
nual bedding 
plants. An 
Experi-
ment Station test was conducted to
determine the effectiveness of
paclobutrazol in controlling bypass
shoots of florist azaleas and to
evaluate the chemical's effects on
flowering.
Paclobutrazol, 
applied 38 days
before cooling, effectively 
controll-
ed bypass shoot development and
increased flower number 
of Alaska
azalea compared to an untreated
control, while minimally influenc-
ing days-to-flower and flower
diameter. Rates of 150 and 200
parts per million were most effec-
tive in controlling bypass shoots
and increasing flower number 
of
Prize azalea, 
while not reducing
flower diameter. Days-to-flower
was greater (47 days versus 44
days) at the higher rate.
Daminozide was less effective than
paclobutrazol in controlling bypass
shoot development 
and enhancing
flower number. Daminozide also
delayed flowering and reduced
flower size relative to
paclobutrazol and the untreated
control.
I _________________________
Giant crayfish,
often called
freshwater
lobster, look
promising for
Alabama catfish
producers.
C IP~4-
Flamne retardancy 
im-
provement increases
cotton marketab 
ity
King Cotton has made a
resurgence in Alabama in the past
few years. In addition to develop-
ing technology for growing 
cotton,
Experiment Station researchers are
also involved in finding new and
better uses for the fiber.
Cotton can be made flame resis-
tant by treating the fiber with cer-
tain organo-phosphorus com-
pounds. Unfortunately, if ions such
as calcium and magnesium are
precipitated onto the fabric, as can
happen in laundering, then the ef-
fectiveness of the organo-phos-
phorus finish may be negated. This
effect is a serious one and has caus-
ed the reduction or elimination of
cotton in certain end-uses.
During this past year, Auburn
researchers examined how the
mode of deposition of soluble and
insoluble compounds on organo-
phosphorus-treated cellulose fab-
rics affects flammability. The study
examined an unfinished fabric and
two with organo-phosphorus
finishes. The salts were applied to
the fabrics by laundering and by a
padding and ion-exchange pro-
cedure to form calcium chloride
and calcium carbonate. The fabrics
were examined by elemental
analysis, vertical test, oxygen in-
dex, scanning electron 
microscopy,
and by pyrolysis and gas chroma-
tography.
The latter work showed that
pyrolysis products, such as carbon
monoxide, carbon dioxide, and
water were altered by the organo-
phosphorus finishes. The two
finishes examined, THPOH-NH3
and Pyrovatex CP, differ in
chemical nature and in the way
each reacts with cellulose. In this
study, the Pyrovatex finish was af-
fected the same, as far as flam-
mability results 
are concerned,
whether the deposition was by
padding or laundering. The
THPOH-NH3 finish, 
however,
was affected adversely only by
laundering. The difference is ap-
parently linked to the fact that ion-
exchange groups exist in the
Pyrovatex finish, and thus the ion-
exchanged calcium may play the
more important part in negating
the finish.
threat to kiwi plant 
~
in Aiabama
Considerable interest has been
shown by growers in Alabama and
other Southeastern States for
growing kiwi fruit. One of the four
experimental plantings made by
Experiment Station researchers was
on lands previously in long-time
peanut production. Following
heavy summer rains, over 50 per-
cent of this planting was lost to
soilborne organisms that become
problems in wet soils.
To solve this production prob-
lem, rotted kiwi roots were re-
trieved and used in laboratory
studies to identify the pathogens.
Pure cultures of fungi not previous-
ly known to attack kiwi plants
were discovered. Researchers in-
fested soils with these fungi to in-
oculate greenhouse grown potted
kiwi plants. Within 6 weeks, the
majority of plants in infested soil
had died, but plants in uninfested
soils (controls) continued to grow
vigorously.
The Auburn test indicates that to
reduce problems from soilborne
disease problems, growers should
make kiwi planting only in well-
drained, light-textured soils.
Util izng shellfish by-
products could also
benefit agriculture
Finding a way to utilize the by-
products of Alabama's shellfish in-
dustry could provide valuable
agricultural products from other-
wise useless and contaminating
waste materials. Experiment Sta-
tion researchers have been screen-
ing bacteria to identify those which
have the ability to degrade the
material chitin, which forms a ma-
jor part of the shells of crustaceans
IL i1b P( m
such as shrimp and crabs. Re-
searchers hope eventually to turn
this chitin waste 
into alcohol fuels,
biological pesticides, and other
useful fermentation products.
Over 134 bacterial strains, repre-
senting 41 genera and 68 species
have already been screened for the
ability to degrade chitin. Others are
currently being isolated from bat
guano and marine sources, because
it is believed that chitin degrading
activity would be high in bacteria
growing in these situations.
Those bacterial species showing
a high level of activity are being
tested in conjunction with yeasts
and other microorganisms for
alcohol production from chitin.
Preliminary results from these
fermentation experiments look
promising. Future work will be
concerned with optimizing produc-
tion of chitinase and determining
optimal conditions for the
fermentations.
Off-farm employment
helps both community
and farm
Optimum utilization of rural
human resources is critical to future
growth of nonurban areas of the
State. Experiment Station research
indicates more and more farm
families are employed at least part-
time in off-farm jobs. A steady job
market available to these people
makes rural areas more attractive
to industry.
A survey of 111 Alabama farm
couples revealed that one-third of
the men and one-half of the women
held off-the-farm jobs. More than
three-fifths of these employed farm
family members were employed
Soilborne
diseases damage
experimental
kiwi plantings in
the State.
C ______________________________ .1 ______________________________ J _______________
full time, implying a significant
time commitment for both
spouses. For three-fourths 
of the
husbands and wives, provision 
of
a supplement to the farm income
was the primary reason for the off-
the-farm job. Over three-fifths of
the men and women in the study
were dissatisfied with their farm in-
come, explaining the high percen-
tage employed off the farm. 
How-
ever, one-half of the men 
and
women were satisfied with their
standard of living, a standard made
possible by the additional income
provided by off-the-farm jobs.
The Auburn study indicates that
provisions of jobs in rural areas 
for
farm family members enhance not
only the area's economic produc-
tivity through those jobs, but the
economic stability of the farm is
also enhanced, creating a win-win
situation.
Recycling industrial
wastes provides a lime
substitute
Experiment Station researchers
are working with paper mills to
recycle wastes that are piling up 
in
landfills and waste lagoons. One
waste is boiler ash, the residue left
when wood bark, chips, and other
materials are burned to generate
electricity for paper mills.
Wood ashes have been used for
several hundred years to improve
soil fertility. Ashes are an alter-
native source of lime 
and provide
plant nutrients, particularly
potassium and calcium. Sludges
from waste lagoons at 
papermills
may also be spread or injected into
soils to add organic matter 
as well
as plant nutrients.
Tests at Brewton 
Experiment
Field and on grower 
fields in
Baldwin, Mobile, and 
Dallas coun-
ties have shown that boiler 
ash can
be substituted for agricultural 
lime
if equivalent rates are used based
on the neutralizing 
value of the
boiler ash. 
However, 
rates as high
as two to four times 
that of
agricultural lime may be needed.
No detrimental effects have been
recorded on 
crops at rates 
as high
as 12 tons per acre in 
the Auburn
tests.
Researchers at
the Atmospheric
Pollutant Test
Center manufac-
ture ozone and
acid rain and test
the effects of
these pollutants
on the growth
rate of pine
seedlings.
I
. at
rorestry
research is a micro-
cosm of the overall
Experiment Station
research effort. For-
estry draws from 
the
expertise of wildlife
researchers in the
College of Science
and Mathematics to
test forestry produc-
tion practices that
will also make the
land more valuable
for hunting leases.
Ag engineers are 
a
part of the forestry
research team and
play a vital role 
in
developing more effi-
cient timber harvest-
ing equipment. Plant
pathologists are
working with forest-
ers to develop 
gene-
tically altered 
fungi
that promise 
to pro-
vide a better root
zone environment
for pine seedlings,
and subsequently 
in-
crease the growth
rate of young trees.
; : I- Ii- .i -r.
i; 4 --- ~
Forestry researchers at Auburn
have completed the construction
phase of a series of plastic chambers
to house atmospheric pollution
studies. The researchers manufac-
ture ozone and acid rain and pump
these pollutants into the 16-foot-tall
plastic chambers to measure the ef-
fect on the growth rate of loblolly
pines.
The manufacture of flakeboard
and I-beams will allow the forest
products industry to more efficient-
ly utilize all of Alabama's forest
resource. The 
use of sweetgum,
poplar, and other species once con-
sidered 'trash trees' not only pro-
vides valuable resources for use in
flakeboards, but also reduces the
cost of eliminating these trees from
pine stands.
Forest site preparation,
deer habitat compatible
A study in the southern Pied-
mont is making it possible to ascer-
tain differences in the quantity of
whitetail deer browse associated
with different mechanical site
preparation treatments. A multi-
disciplinary team of researchers is
evaluating loblolly pine perfor-
mance differences among site
preparation treatments.
Four site preparation treatments
were compared over the course of
four seasons. These, in order of in-
creasing intensity, included harvest
only; harvest and chainsaw hard-
woods; shear and chop; 
and shear,
rootrake, and burn. The two
lowest intensity treatments are par-
ticularly significant since these are
frequently applied by small nonin-
dustrial private landowners, in-
dividuals that frequently lease their
lands to hunters.
In general, the moderate intensi-
ty treatments, harvest/chainsaw
and shear/chop, tended to produce
the largest quantities of deer forage
across all four seasons. These
treatments also exhibited the
greatest diversity of vegetation
species, a factor which is also im-
portant for deer habitat. Based on
total forage production and species
diversity, these two treatments
seemed to produce the best deer
habitat in 5-year-old loblolly pine
plantations. In addition, harvest/
chainsaw and shear/chop site pre-
parations yielded pine growth and
survival as good as that of any
other treatment.
These studies indicate that
maintenance of good deer habitat is
compatible with mechanical site
preparation and, 
consequently,
good timber management. This is a
positive conclusion for small
nonindustrial private landowners
since they may be able to optimize
the profits from their forest land
through a combination of produc-
tive pine management and the sell-
ing of hunting leases.
Reducing herbaceous
competition important
to pine tree growth
Auburn researchers are
documenting how control of hard-
wood trees, versus herbaceous
plants, affects pine plantation
development. Having now com-
pleted a fifth growing 
season,
results from the studies show that
controlling herbaceous competi-
tion results in greater early pine
growth than eliminating hardwood
competition. Herbaceous weed
control significantly increased
growth of hardwoods as well as
pines. Treatment of both herbs and
hardwoods produced the greatest
pine response. Continued data col-
lection will define how these rela-
tionships change as the stands age.
Researchers are also conducting
tests on the interactions of weed
control and fertilization on forest
growth, the effects of varied hard-
wood stand densities on pine plan-
tation development, the effec-
tiveness of several different
methods of ground-based brush
control techniques, and the iden-
tification of effective herbicides for
forestry uses. Ongoing research
such as this will continually im-
prove the quality and quantity of
information that landowners,
foresters, and planners need to
make silvicultural decisions.
Lignin models could
change pulp, paper-
making chemicals
Lignin is one of the chemical
components found in wood, and its
removal is the object of the various
chemical pulping processes. While
lignin has been extensively studied
by a number of chemical methods,
the current techniques of computa-
tional chemistry and molecular
modelling have been applied only
sparingly. The application of these
computer-based technologies to
problems in lignin chemistry are
being addressed by Experiment
Station researchers.
Molecular modelling provides
information on both the physical
structure of molecules and the
distribution of charge within the
structure. Molecular geometry is
important in the determination of
the relative stability of a com-
pound, while the presence or
absence of electrons at various
positions gives clues about how
and where chemical reactions may
occur.
These methods have been used
to explore reactions 
with chlorine,
Lignin models
help improve
pulp and paper
making
chemicals.
1
Early reduction
of herbaceous
competition is
critical to overall
pine tree growth.
Success of
silvicultural
treatments
varies among
different forest
sites.
Auburn University. Its purpose 
is
to study the effects of acid rain 
and
ozone on the growth and produc-
tivity of loblolly pine under con-
trolled field conditions. Re-
searchers in the Experiment Station
are also using this facility for other
basic studies of tree-stress
physiology. Scientists from
Auburn, Tuskegee 
University,
USDA Forest Service, 
TVA, and
NASA are participating in this and
related projects.
Trees will be grown in modified
open-top chambers for 3 years and
exposed to acid rain and ozone at
different levels, from clean to
polluted. Exposures were started in
May and continued through No-
vember 1988. These tests 
will begin
again in March or April 1989.
Trees are measured monthly 
for
height and diameter growth as well
as other factors. Periodically, trees
are harvested to reduce competi-
tion and are measured for 
biomass
production and nutrient status.
orest vegetation con
trol improves pine tree
Experiment Station research
conducted cooperatively with the
forest industry and the U.S. Forest
Service is quantifying the effects of
various silvicultural treatments on
pine plantation growth. These ap-
plications are applied soon after
planting. The projects are region-
wide (Virginia to 
Louisiana) on
numerous sites, 
thereby allowing
insight into how forest 
responses
vary with site and stand character-
istics.
These tests are 
now reaching 
5 to
10 years of age, and the data col-
lected are providing many inter-
esting results. Recent findings show
that control of grasses and other
herbaceous weeds in a pine planta-
tion's first growing season signifi-
cantly increases subsequent tree
growth.
In plantations 7 to 9 years old, 1
year of weed control increased pine
height by 12 percent, diameter 
by
13 percent, and survival by 18 per-
cent. A second year of herbaceous
weed control further increased
height by 6 percent, diameter by 
7
percent, and survival by 2 percent
over that obtained with 1 year's
control. Combining these attri-
butes (height, diameter, and sur-
vival), early weed control treat-
ments more 
than doubled 
pine
basal area of these 
stands at age 
7
to 9.
These findings document that in-
creases during early growth persist
into mid-rotation. Future studies
will continue to monitor these
stands until the 
trees are ready 
for
commercial harvest.
___________ C______________________ I ___________________________________________
related to the 
bleaching process,
and the formation and reactivity of
chemical intermediates required 
for
the reactions of kraft pulping.
These reactions are not strictly
mediated by the charge at 
a given
location, representing 
a sharp
departure from current theory. 
If
these trends continue to be 
found
for lignin, alternative chemicals 
for
bleaching and pulping 
may be
identified that could 
reduce pollu-
tion loads or accelerate 
the reac-
tions involved in pulping 
and
papermaking.
Reduced pine growth
studies in environme-
ta chambers
Recent information indicates a
potential decline in the growth and
health of southern pines. These
observations, along with reports of
forest damage in other parts of the
country, have led to an increase in
public awareness and intensified
research efforts. Air pollution has
been implicated as a causal or con-
tributing factor to these declines.
As part of a long-term 
project,
five intensive field research sites
have been established throughout
the Southern United States. One of
these sites has been developed at
I I
i ~0l
mii~
W
=%~ ~ 8-\"lal ~ =()
-r. Gareth Morgan-Jones, professor of
plant pathology, was the recipient of the 1988
Senior Director's Research Award. Dr. Christine
Sundermann, assistant professor of zoology 
and
wildlife science, was the winner of the 1988 assis-
tant and associate professor level Director's
Research Award.
i organ-Jones is an internationally ac-
claimed authority on two groups of plant parasitic
fungi that attack nematodes. His research was in-
strumental in developing the biological nematicide
Clandosan, which can be used by peanut growers
to replace two popular nematicides that were
banned by the Environmental Protection Agency
in 1986.
His research provided much of the
understanding of the life cycle of the disease-
causing agent in soybean stem canker. The
disease, which once threatened Alabama's soybean
crop, is now managed by a combination 
of crop
management practices and varieties. These prac-
tices are based largely on the understanding of the
life cycle and epidemiology of the causal agent 
that
were defined by Morgan-Jones' research.
S undermann's research contains
elements of both basic and applied work. Her
research on coccidian parasites has yielded im-
mediate application, while her work with cell 
to
cell recognition and interaction addresses the fun-
damental mechanisms involved with pathogenic
organisms ability to attack healthy cells. Sunder-
mann's research effort was vital in attaining Na-
tional Science Foundation funding for the
EPSCOR program at Auburn.
A _______________________________________ J _____________
Gareth Morgan-
Jones, left, was
named the Direc-
tor's Research
Award winner in
the professorial
category and
Christine
Sundermann,
center, was
selected the
assisant/assoc-
iate professor
level winner.
Shown present-
ing the awards is
Director Frobish.
Appropriations of
the Alabama Legislature re-
present the major source of
funding to finance work of the
Alabama Agricultural Experi-
ment Station. These appro-
priated funds also serve as a
catalyst to obtaining research
dollars from other sources to
supplement State funds. The
result, as noted from the ac-
companying financial state-
ment, is a doubling of the
financial base supplied by
Alabama taxpayers through
State appropriations. The con-
tract and grants total of more
than $5 million was a signifi-
cant addition to the funds
available for research in 1988.
Although it is dif-
ficult to determine returns
from investments in agri-
cultural research, data from
several national studies pro-
vide guidelines for computing
such returns. A summary of
21 U. S. studies indicates a
return of 30-100 percent an-
nually for long-term research
on crops and livestock. Data
on the multiplier effect of
research spending establishes
that each $1 spent for such
research adds $9 to agricul-
tural output. Moreover, this
$1 investment adds almost $11
to the gross state product and
more than 300 man-years of
employment. Using this fac-
tor, Alabama's $26 million ex-
penditure on agricultural
research adds $234 million to
agricultural output and $286
million to the gross state out-
put - plus providing 7,800
man-years of employment for
Alabamians.
Another important
point about expenditures for
Auburn's agricultural research
is that these funds have a
positive effect on all areas of
the State. Not only are results
used statewide, but the re-
search dollars spent at 23
AAES locations throughout
the State boost the economy of
each of these areas.
ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT 
STATION
REPORT OF REVENUES
FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 
30, 1988
APPROPRIATED FUNDS
STATE
FEDERAL
CONTRACTS AND GRANTS
FEDERAL
STATE
PRIVATE
AUXILIARY REVENUES
SALE OF RESEARCH PRODUCTS
DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES & FEES
INTEREST AND ROYALTIES
INDIRECT AND OTHER COST
RECOVERIES
2,095,213
821,998
2,425,763
3,118,782
243,755
263,548
493,038
TOTAL REVF~NUES100.0%
$13,064,363
4,006,527
49.2%
15.1%
5,342,974 20.1%
4,119,123
$26,532,987
15.5%
rON% A ~"" n I lyEg-g-~i~c2i-;----;i aur .;, a
100.0%
TOTAL REVENUES

r r7? r
ti
G
r1 + z
t
z y
:?
b
Sir
z
4 zT c t
S
2
a7
a 
2 k
y 
z,
'tt-
4< 
< t 1 r ') ;3 ,
f ,
y ! G V A
4
7 w r , 
? r 
c f '.r
r 2 3c ) z - ,i T < e tt 5
7 a Y k v i. ' 
' t , r l
ro :. 1 F. yt ., R:f r y .Z2 'ray. - r r Lsw
y y-Y- ) hlf Y , 1 fry, , c { cS 2 hf X ?;1 r ry'f iy 1 , 
t f { ?:s.%'Y ti'Y f '
^ v r ;qtr : , S-,} ;ee .r y f T+, s S f a y .)) <
,, ^- y z .. r) rh, ,Q, r cr ^ r t :;'Tr s z rv :, 3i YrrAri*tr7 frti -tatF < V.; 
,b!"
? ? 2,r l 'Y < YT 'v I Z' ,. f lr 2 '., ,c((,,Y.l 1', ,I V - t't
,r 1: Y,- t k 7 r 1 'Sr I'f\ y.. 1 t i ; K Y-,t l 'f 4S" t 2 t) 
* + lIf t
# , 
zr t'v y., t' ;> v A 
r f l r t v 7 it + S , I
'!f f7 rr t vy , G^ r r ,,, ~\1 7 
1 Y
r f t+, l ',Ix'e Y i v F t X G l Y .. ) r^ J ! 71 J
f - f . m ) J r x r: 
G ",? fJ ! r p. 2, '4 f y 1 k
?' t f ti A: ) 
fi %. Ly c.,; n c 
.,r 3' Sys r n{.
c( .f t4' Y r v l1 fhr r 9 ,>. ei. f rr 1, "I
^ )L ,lr :, v S r ! z, " Y) f {, jbl .. 4e zx& Y ^z v 2 ? ALP 
4.X , .... . r :. r o y 6 rf <t p
y ' v '2 2 v' S y.l7 r r ,;- ., .l,,r 
-,,- rc - f" , y I 
-, F r f , r r c , ,'.- >r rt : 
,2rr7G r tr: s Y r^
11 , f c z, Y y cs ,,{.
la 3 2." i S r'V{G r ?' A2 r ,'..,{fr ' _ 
^'. J t L. k*:
:.I r , {' S ' b 5} , '9Y Fw o r 7 fii5r a : r S r j.. n t f .t. - .x k Jx is e 5 r kt{ C .. r e
- { 1 Nu ti 1 Jn. q . ' f 4t i f ?T '"'i Y Y.. C Yap 2 r' " y.Y . r > ?l' 2 >f
r> 2 r nk w ' C) ,,.., 1, j. ?'; v a., :{ -c tv r t +, n 7h! f' N! 17 e" 
f*c .c 'S rsI. .r 7
Th f rh SIr f t+..,,i; try Zjj fiLt -U ' 2 t, 
M r v . r. [.
Y.. ' ., r r r 
ci" t o4 { T 
- .,-ti c ,a {.,i ,T 
,, P3 ? 
c ) ti. 
-7fty
a 
., 
y 
_, 
l 
e 
a, 
s3 
_ 
tcr
~'? is L yfb 
"+"r t C 
fr if f R,,t Y?r 
ati ^.k. i w 
?ll - jrv 4.n.'n 
>, +3.4- 
,
< ,,- - -i.. '. ., - 11: I <k r?
C a Cyr ' zE 4 W i 4 t r, F 
I : Vj hpp?y rr4KZ SnY a r i 
7 J f ct' 3S f i7 _ a nzr t 
t P
r r 7 f yyf F rf J 7 Y R lT' t *. .' .Id L S+, t f , 2 F. 7 
fi t
r74, ; t 2 2:a ti k r w S 
tq r
>f -yi refr ^, 4c l c i. 'f r v . f7 1?n rj7 -?yr 5 ,r-1'- ) c "'k7> , ~ .. f r rf
tt rh at z 4 ;{z r , rOlS 
h41 ^k s jr nl p t yzr 
N ' A f,.;.
f +r 1ti v yr,. & , v2 }s a 2? _ 
F' >^ , F , f -. * -,A' <' ; 
rf fw, "f ,
yf{7 ""4ya, eP PP--4F
- '4 
1 
f' { JM 
7 w'n.,r'y-', fin 
F tiJ,:.. 
ytr 2 -~ r 
3 iT t 
f r h F 
' .
r 11 
:i'm"da r a ..a rt 
Al?+r I ti 
- ,{; . ,,") , T 
"pill 
t 
,, ~*r 
f 2Sry 
t rye
.rte -2 x ,," -'Xfe2 y> -1- 
1 1111, <nrf "j .
firjr ti; T .,. 
t r.\7 'h s of Y 
r2S li l , ,r..
!. .2 F 4 all Sfc 4cti i2 + t >J., I""" t ,v Cf 
Z c S : , i 7 r ^ yi'.i ( ;; r 
m
,yr< .'X "t } 7 ~ ,fir? h ', a ti4 t 7 T v + ..> e s r .
y< ? fir _ fz w x > ""' 6 la < Vet 'kH ?.t J I rf., 7r - I,, "C" s
fiY ? It 
1 il- v,7I-I- l 
' ?' 1. 2 
rrt 
ib l f 
9- f a ? 
e f r y .1 
s 
t 1-1
.<1 j. +.7 l 41 I f f r f fn l f. t: f ' . Y t r ...... t ~ , - '85 
, ,Y t .>,2F 1 1aT . *Hq2{ y 4 .,[
;f ,51 y{ t f t i i Y FL l(' ,,, r.' 2 ^'Ir} 14 At f , 1 \ , r fv~ -i ^ ?y) F k i r ?:t n, r4f 'fir ?,. %,Zrl%jl } lra If 
f f +1 r t 
7 74 t ) 4 
tr.,h,_Yf if727iiF 
3 < ' 
I < y 
' t LY f ' {.. ,YrYFk 
S J } -li 
M fs 
!\y ;tr"
7 p >c r ,ti ~ a ?7 Al f ?' t ^ 
z az v z 11
F 1-\Y t, t vl 
1 c ) I h r -: f 
(k r Z 4Y, w > {. 4
* f 
7 ?,. 
2 
,> r- 
c ?. f 
t i 
.l c r 
c r 
ti 
_ N, 
n ,:..
'y 7 
,,, ' r 
- ti ) f e' C * r itwr 
?,^ ) 
r f77 x < 
< , 
r
"SR # ? .. ,{{3 
7 ti,3 )f ;i 1 -1?'1 
t . : 
4 < y e 5 ,b t
-,o trr J 1 yi7fi )71, l x , f> t 1 tY ' z ya { r '{.47L +J 7 y 
,, ,, t ' ,. #- 1 , ,<' - f ftti ; ' 5 z.
f 1 S f w 2 <'R a
{ { r c GJ 
r - ? of ! 
, ? 241 p n .. F J A. a 
,<i ti t
i ^Z' r , f 3 -, -- .,' >Sy2 f .,.y ZI A f #. Y r ; r 
J .
r ir ;l )' iX ) r J 
r > t 1 
'c f{ I! "Y- h..
,cr 'xF't q 2 YT ?k',<;' " i r.r , 1 ' 
{ C t " 2 ! -? { r 2. ry"^..tr eR ti fa1F 
rr
V , ^il L I T ->y f r ti i r ,r r L v? 1 <. Y 3 t a44y ,, K
f l r7tt Yt 7 .Tt1xo...J r 
, 2 .....C><,t 
7 , > '',1${ti t { k 1 v , t r?,'t'l 
off, t .,
f ti 2 f 7 { 
G ' ! rf ? T _ Z- ^ J'e', F 
.yt Vf it "XZ ! I Hr ' ' ? l
fV1 f, ) 'k N,> - ). 
, .ray 2 j tz { .. {t r 
Y f < ) t- j RR 2y'. ~ 2
A > k K ,Y p T t i .'+7 T ,e y --R, A , tY.[ c',
.,?2ff :tY'>,+ r t: ^ 4" ,. .n , r 7 
y ,r t J Ft 4 rtk G
'a270 r 1 Tt ') ,'.T afj" -, 7 r ^ c r < ,., fyy'R . rr 9 3 -> y a .
2 . jyf SY t >..,h,. 
)2atl? ,, -, rk r, 
of +.,,c I . I yy Ff"? 
~ f -.
f S t If 77 f r r ( 'C+J- n. 
j, l v , t f.. ' A z fi . s , j 
,v 1
< 3? ^, ) <{{ 7) f T 1 1 f , 4'T x 
iY7 r > >Sv 'fCH <.. r.: 7 T -! K , 
.i 1 )Y
2y 2 ' z2 X ! ){ n t 
tff fr-Y 1 ,Y) 
"2y
ti .t . r 
): 7^ )r k
< , fa 
^ * tr 4+,t C 
r f 7 
r;-f r{fF
rt, ^ r t ?{ ' v c y9 4 t, r ",., fr z"' p?z r 1
>I};fZ4 . ti l frf r 31 f /fif; r t z'" vz t?' 'f f r f s r. 4 fr K
!r t r ,a7.t a -' ,t yt T t
a frit ,tll<>Ltp J' ;F .F .Zi_:. 
&c ?rr 4 r +k ..t
tir
-
: i. 
1{ T
rS 
2
< 4r; f. f 2;-
p be 
, "F <j4~
fr Y A 2 
rr 'S~ J r fa c , >